(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAdd the Quadrant throttle if you want even more of an Airbus flavour. The quality and specificity of the controls on these outboard modules blow away those on the flight stick\u2019s base.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No other joystick feels as tailor made for Flight Simulator 2020 as the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition. And, sure, you can use it for any other suitable PC game too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition is made to a budget, but the attention to detail is excellent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Price and availability<\/h2>\n
The Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition launched in June 2020. It costs $69.99\/\u00a364.99, and has spent much of the rest of 2020 out of stock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thrustmaster followed up the stick itself with the TCA Quadrant, a $99.99\/$89.99 throttle add-on that connects to your PC using a separate USB port.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s more too. The Quadrant Add-On pack offers even more controls that screw into the throttle module. It adds a parking brake and landing gear controls, and levers for flaps and speed brakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The TCA Quadrant Add-on costs an additional $99.99\/\u00a389.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tally that all up and you can spend $270\/\u00a3245 on the full Thrustmaster TCA setup. This is still a lot lower than the \u00a3400 of the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog.<\/p>\n
Thrustmaster\u2019s Officer Pack is probably the best buy for most flight sim fans. It nets you the flightstick and throttle module for $159.99\/\u00a3149.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read on to find out more about all three products.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An excellent deadzone-free stick<\/h2>\n
First off, let\u2019s deal with the most important core part of the Thrustmaster TCA Airbus family, the stick itself. It\u2019s excellent.<\/p>\n
It may not look all that high-end, but its motion is extremely smooth and the moderate spring-based lets you make fine-grain movements with total confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There is also effectively zero deadzone. In the Windows 10 setup app you have to move it with the force of a mouse\u2019s breath to avoid any input the system recognises.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This alone puts the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition right near the top of its class in terms of real-world use.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
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![\"Thrustmaster](\"https:\/\/vanilla.futurecdn.net\/techradar\/media\/img\/missing-image.svg\")
<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTension is non-adjustable, but the default level is well-chosen. There\u2019s enough spring-back to make you want to adjust the plane\u2019s trim so you don\u2019t have to hold the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition in place constantly. But not so much kids can\u2019t use the thing without complaining about getting sore forearms in three minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ergonomics of the stick are more than sound, too. There\u2019s only minor contouring but it fits your grip perfectly and is large enough to seem like a \u201cserious\u201d sim controller.<\/p>\n
Build quality<\/h2>\n
Some of you are doubtless going to be a little disappointed by the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition\u2019s build. Just about everything here bar the screws and internal spring is plastic.<\/p>\n
There are no rubberized parts to the stick\u2019s grip, no metal panels anywhere. Of course, this is the norm for a flight stick at this level. And we have no reason to believe it won\u2019t last for years, even if you do end up throwing the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition at a wall a couple of times after messing up a landing five times in a row.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thrustmaster says the TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition\u2019s sensor style helps on this front too. The non-button controls use magnetic hall sensors with no moving parts, so there\u2019s no wear as the years pass by.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There aren\u2019t even any decals on the base\u2019s buttons to gradually wear off. The difference between a new Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition and one five years old is most likely to be a result of the spring inside losing some tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWe\u2019re not quite as keen on some of the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition\u2019s buttons. The stick\u2019s top buttons and triggers all have a very similar, shallow click.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We aren\u2019t pilots. Perhaps the Airbus A320\u2019s stick buttons feel just like these, but to our fingers they come across a little cheap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 12 buttons on the base also have a slightly stodgy action. Still, we\u2019d much rather have a great stick and so-so buttons than the other way around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thrustmaster also proves these buttons haven\u2019t just been stuck on here without much thought. The two primary non-trigger buttons on the stick\u2019s top can be swapped around. Each comes on its own little plastic module. You can unscrew them, and there are mirror image replacements in the box. When fastened in, there\u2019s zero wobble, no sign these are switchable.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThis makes the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition an ambidextrous stick. There’s another angle here too, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In an actual Airbus plane you\u2019d have one set of controls for the captain, another for the co-pilot. And each uses a different hand to grasp the stick, hence the reserved controls. A third config, that of a centrally positioned stick, uses the taller red buttons on both sides. It\u2019s another little win for the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition\u2019s authenticity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Built-in throttle\u00a0<\/h2>\n
We may be reviewing the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition as a full package, with the separate throttle and flaps controls, but the main stick alone has all you need.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As well as moving in normal joystick fashion, the stick twists. This offers rudder control, meaning you don\u2019t need Thrustmaster\u2019s relatively expensive rudder pedals. Want to use them? There\u2019s a button that locks off twist motion very effectively on the stick itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSee that little ridged black thing towards the back? That\u2019s a little throttle. It sets the Thrustmaster Airbus family up as something you can get involved with without spending too much money. And if your casual interest in flying sims takes off, you an upgrade without needing to get rid of what you bought in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s much like the Thrustmaster wheel family in this respect. But perhaps even better in this case as you could remap the throttle to do\u2026 something else. Planes aren\u2019t exactly short of controls to map.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The actual experience of using the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition\u2019s built-in throttle is mixed. There\u2019s a good amount of resistance to this slider, letting you set the engine power precisely even though the control only has a few inches of movement. There’s also a tiny little click feedback as you each the bottom 20%.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, at the very bottom of this control\u2019s travel, it becomes a switch that sets the engine to reverse. And there\u2019s not enough resistance or positive feedback to this to help you avoid doing so accidentally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, we absolutely think you can get by with the Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition alone if your interest in flight sims only started with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition<\/h2>\n
Want to get serious? You\u2019ll need the TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition. This companion to the flight stick is actually a separate peripheral, with its own USB connection to your PC and its own entry in the Control section of games like Microsoft Flight Simulator.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt consists of two separate throttle controls, for dual engine planes, two chunky switches to turn the engines on and off, and an engine state switch. You can even buy two, for control of 4-engined planes, if you want to dive headfirst into \u201csim land\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUsing the TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition is likely why we have a slightly dim view of the stick\u2019s own buttons. These feel much better and have a real sense of the tactile immersion that is the primary reason to buy a dedicated controller like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure, the TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition is still made of plastic and the throttles don\u2019t have as much \u00a0resistance as the real thing. But there are light clicks of feedback as you reach each milestone on the throttle, and a great release catch behind each throttle lever that lets you put the engines into reverse thrust.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some of you may find the dedicated engine switches are somewhat wasted in their default roles, but they can be remapped to do whatever you like. It\u2019s one of the bonuses of PC gaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TCA Quadrant Airbus add-on pack<\/h2>\n
Thrustmaster\u2019s Add-on pack doubles the width of the Quadrant throttle controller. It comes in two parts, which can be arranged either way around, with the base of the modules screwing into the main one with the help of some little plastic bridges. And it connects to the throttle part using SATA cables just like those currently connecting your SSD or hard drive to your motherboard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These two extra modules add throttle-style controls for the flaps and air brake and two of the most charming controls of the whole Thrustmaster Airbus setup, the parking brake and landing gear. They delightfully nerdy, with a very specific design that begs not to be remapped, and genuinely adds to the virtual flying experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt\u2019s odd that an ostensibly thin enhancement, like a control that operates a little differently to the rest, can level-up your experience. But it really does.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The flaps and brake controls are good too. They move smoothly, but will only sit at 25% increments. You\u2019ll feel tactile feedback as they move past each of these points.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond not messing up the fundamentals of the control units inside, the job of peripherals like the TCA Quadrant Airbus Add-on Pack is to boost a sim\u2019s suspension of disbelief factor. The way a lever feels as you push it doesn\u2019t just matter, <\/em>it\u2019s kinda the whole deal. And while these may be lighter, smaller and necessarily flimsier than the real deal, they are a pretty effective simulacrum.\u00a0<\/p>\nStill, we kinda wish the main Quadrant throttle unit had the lovely parking brake control, if only because we love it but can\u2019t quite face the full cost of the full Thrustmaster Airbus rig.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n